Advocacy News & Views

On March 20th, join SHARE at New York State Breast Cancer Network's (NYSBCN) Annual Albany Lobby Day.  We will be making the trip to Albany along with other breast cancer groups from New York State to discuss our priorities with legislators. The theme of the day will be "The Future of Health Insurance in New York State". 
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For two years now, we've been watching with increasing alarm the spread of shortages in drugs used to treat cancer. . . .
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I've been writing articles in this blog space for two years now. I've been focused on taking charge of our own health. I've tried to pick topics that would be interesting and educational to a good many people. 
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Recently a SHARE volunteer on the Hotline had this story shared with her by a patient caller.
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Women and men in families with histories of breast or ovarian cancer often have mutations in genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2. In our business-dominated health care system, it's not surprising that Myriad Genetics could patent a $3,000 test that finds the BRCA mutations.
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NBCC has launched a National Action Network (NAN) made up of individuals and organizations dedicated to meeting NBCC's Breast Cancer Deadline 2020.
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Shortages exist for many proven generic drugs because they're just not profitable enough to manufacture. This means people might die from curable cancers.
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Breast cancer patients scored a win this month when medical wisdom triumphed over drug company hype at the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Suppose you are seeking the best way to prevent recurrence of breast or ovarian cancer. Your doctor might say something like "if you take this treatment there's a 50% greater likelihood...
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Supposedly it was Mark Twain who coined the phrase, "lies, damn lies, and statistics." Though doctors and scientific researchers...
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At a medical conference I attended last fall, several speakers commented from the podium, "Lack of evidence does not mean there is no evidence"... 
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I recently had the opportunity to attend C4YW, the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer. The annual conference is organized...
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A summary of the 4th annual conference on Complementary & Alternative Medicine therapies for cancer.
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Fighting over the phrase "for the cure" isn't where we should put our efforts.
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If you are a person diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, or a family member or close friend, you probably are at least somewhat aware of what the Federal Food and Drug Administration does on our behalf.  The FDA is charged by Congress with approving pharmaceuticals that treat important diseases.  These drugs may be offered by prescription or in hospitals, clinics or doctors offices.  Generally if a drug is approved it is approved for particular diseases, known as the "indication(s)." 
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I want to ring in the New Year by wishing SHARE participants All the Best in 2011.  As I do so, I can't help wondering just what is the "best" that we are wishing for?
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It's scary how many people suffer needlessly as a result of not asking and not knowing it's ok to ask.
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The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), of which SHARE is a founding member, is seeking yeas or nays on its goal to end breast cancer by 2020. (See Anne Grant's blog from last issue). That's a brave new goal, to put it mildly. 
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On September 20th, The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) set a deadline to End Breast Cancer by January 1, 2020.
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Health care conferences and health care websites are abuzz these days with conversations about Comparative Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER).
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Is DCIS overdiagnosed . . . and is it overtreated?
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President's Cancer Panel said too little attention is being paid to environmental factors that cause cancer.
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Legislation has gone to President Obama for his signature which is assured.
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Breast cancer survivors should know that private commercial organizations are getting a lock on genes that could improve their health.
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If you ever hear the words Aranesp, Procrit, Epogen, or ESA from your doctor, please be sure to ask, "What? Why? How can this help? How can it hurt? Are there other options?"
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There are five easy reasons why you should take control of your treatment. Learn what they are.
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This month's Myth is based on National Breast Cancer Coalition's (NBCC) Myth #12: Everyone's breast cancer is the same.
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What's being said by the most significant medical organizations about screening guidelines?
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The National Breast Cancer Coalition* is posting on its web site 24 myths about breast cancer. NBCC wants to counter unscientific recommendations and help people make decisions grounded in good science. 
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